Why Pacific Northwesterners are driving tiny, right-hand drive firetrucks from Japan

They're tiny, they're bright red, and you've probably seen them scooting around Seattle: Mini Japanese firetrucks known as kei trucks. People here say they not only love the cars — but the culture surrounding them, too.

Tonneli Gruetter used to work out of a Chevy Express van, hauling tools and supplies on the Whidbey Island dahlia farm she runs with her mom.

"On a regular basis, we'd be loading heavy tables and buckets and doing a lot of setup, pop up tents, all these different things,” Gruetter told KUOW.

“It was very, very physical, and it was hard on us."

They needed a change. That's when Gruetter discovered kei trucks, tiny Japanese pickups that have a very small cab but with a large bed in the back.

Gruetter knew they had to get one, and not just any kei truck.

"Specifically, the firetrucks come with a lot of racking accessories built into them that are very suitable for farming,” Gruetter said.

They’re old firetrucks shipped from Japan that look nothing like American firetrucks. Kei trucks are small, no bigger than a minivan. They’re also not the fastest vehicles — they top out at around 70 miles per hour — but they’re tough and reliable.

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Many still have their lights, sirens, and a loudspeaker , which comes in handy for Gruetter when they slow down traffic on Whidbey’s two-lane roads.

"We're able to put on our lights as flashers, hop on our intercom and let people know, ‘Thanks for supporting local farms. This vehicle is slow, and we will pull over when we can,’” she said.

This flower-adorned firetruck is not the only kei vehicle cruising around. In the last 10 years, kei trucks and vans have become more popular on American farms, in cities, and as utility vehicles. Owners often describe them as dependable little “workhorses” they can park anywhere.

Kei owners say they feel like they're in a special club when they pass another kei driving down the road.

Gruetter got hers from Adam Chovanak, who runs SODO Moto in the Delridge neighborhood of West Seattle.

"The firetrucks tend to be about the creamiest of creamy kei trucks you can get,” Chovanak said in his garage beneath the West Seattle Bridge. “They're just so charming."

Chovanak said buyers used to be able to pick one up for about $5,000. These days that's closer to $10,000.

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The day after he spoke with KUOW, Chovanak left for Japan to buy exotic cars at auctions to ship back to Seattle, including some kei trucks.

White Suzuki Carries, light blue Honda Actys, and, of course, bright-red firetrucks.

"It's just laughably charming, all those crazy colors,” he said. “I just have trouble saying no to them."

Kei trucks, especially the firetrucks, have become so sought after that he often has a buyer before the shipping container even arrives in the U.S.

Most of the kei trucks here are from the mid-1990s. That's due to federal restrictions on importing kei trucks that are less than 25 years old.

When they do get here, the trucks often need new parts or small repairs. Owners here rely on each other for help, like scrounging for discontinued parts at junk yards and translating old service manuals.

That's where Tuan Huynh comes in. Huynh helps run the PNW Kei Owners Facebook page, with thousands of kei truck drivers —- and aspiring drivers — swapping stories and advice.

Huynh has owned his Suzuki Carry, named “Carry Potter,” for about seven years. His family loves the truck for its size and ability to get into unexpected adventures.

For example, his wife took their daughter to camp at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and staff mistakenly thought Huynh’s wife worked there.

“They were trying to flag her through like they thought she was a service vehicle,” Huynh said.

Another time, they got pulled over because their daughter was sitting on the left side of the truck — the passenger seat in keis — and the cop thought she was driving.

“It always gets attention, people always smile,” Huynh said. “It's silly fun. It's hard to not laugh when you drive it. Just a tiny little truck. Don't take yourself too seriously in it.”

Huynh and other kei owners say they’re used to being stopped at the gas pump by people curious about a truck that’s smaller than most American SUVs on the road.

One of the most common questions is if the kei is road-legal. In Washington and many other states, keis are completely legal to register, insure, and drive on roads.

But that’s not the case for Oregon and a handful of other states that prohibit or restrict the use of kei vehicles. Oregon’s Department of Transportation says these trucks and cars, with their slow speeds and lack of safety features like airbags, are not built for American highways.

Andy Lilienthal, a compact car enthusiast in Portland, said the last time he got to enjoy a ride in a kei truck was in Tuan Huynh’s “Carry Potter” years ago.

“It's frustrating as a Japanese car enthusiast to not be able to register these vehicles,” Lilienthal said, “especially when you can register old vehicles, like a Model T, which is far less powerful and less safe than a kei truck.”

Lilienthal and other disgruntled kei-lovers lurk in the Facebook groups, sharing updates when states pass laws allowing the trucks.

This month, Colorado became the latest state to legalize the tiny rides — but prospective owners will have to wait until 2027 to register one.

Lilienthal hopes his home state will catch up to his neighbors to the north and south “Usually Oregon does as Washington and California do, and they're both legal in both those states,” he said.

“So hopefully we can get some movement and get kei cars registered in Oregon.”

The appeal is not just their charm, owners say. Even at three decades old, many kei vehicles arrive in great shape from Japan. The firetrucks, especially, come with low miles and up-to-date service.

“A lot of Japanese people are very meticulous about what they own and they take care of them very well,” said Gregory Miller, service and parts manager at JDM Car & Motorcycle in Shoreline. “Many cars come in and they just need an oil change.”

JDM is well-known in the Pacific Northwest as an “OG” spot, highly respected within the regional kei community. The showroom and outdoor lot are packed with kei trucks and vans, neatly lined up like Matchbox cars.

Miller, JDM’s “doctor,” said working on the vehicles feels like stepping into a time capsule. With so few miles on them, they even have that new car smell, he said.

Daniel Ton works in professional racing, so he knows serious car people and car culture. Usually there's a lot of talk about speed and horsepower, he said.

But kei truck owners, Ton said, are much more lighthearted.

“The kei truck community is like, ‘Hey, I painted it like a panda, and it looks like a panda now,’” said l Ton, who owns a Suzuki Carry. “It's just a quirky group of people. Let's see how weird we can go."

He and others are getting together for their annual Pacific Northwest Kei owners meet up at 1 p.m. on June 1 at Griot's Garage in Tacoma.

"The group just kind of makes them feel accepted because they probably haven't been accepted in other kinds of car groups," Ton said. “We've just kind of accepted that how they build their truck is a reflection of them."